Earth Is Hell
by Aikyo
Summary: Co written by Rekkachan. AU. Our future has been destroyed. The troopers must relay on their past selves to save them.
1. Default Chapter

1 Meet the Future  
  
Ch.1  
  
  
  
The fighting had stopped for one whole week; he was surprised, happy, and suspicious as to why.Â  The youja soldiers had never taken this long of a break from attacking. His ears accommodated to constant gunfire and explosions from the utter silence of the scouting area.  
  
"Still quiet?"  
  
He nodded numbly. "Too quiet. They have to be planning something."  
  
"We know, but what?"  
  
"That's the real problem." He sighed inwardly.Â  This was not the world he had envisioned when he was a teenager; not after all they had fought for, all they had sacrificed then. Their bodies had grown older and their souls more so.Â  He realized that no one was made to live this long and fight, then lose time after time.Â  There was so little for any of them to live for and the few things they could live for were sent out to risk their own lives.Â   
  
"Tenku and Korin will be back soon. We should go meet them."  
  
Mouri Shin turned away from the bleak scenery, comfortably numb by now to the wasting of the world. "I need to do a few things before then but I will be there."  
  
A light hand was planted firmly on Shin's shoulder. "Check on her."  
  
"There's no difference."  
  
Shu Rei Fuan was increasingly worried about Shin's reaction to his wife's sudden downfall in health.Â  The old warrior Kongo was still that warrior but changed in so many ways.Â  No longer hotheaded and not as eager to kill the enemy as he was years ago. He was filled with much loss in his life than gained.  
  
Cool blue eyes met Kongo's then turned away. "I still have things I need to do,  
  
I still have not seen my children since the week began." Shin shrugged the hand away. "I will be there, do not worry."  
  
Â   
  
***  
  
  
  
Diao Chan wasn't use to actually staying in a bath as long as this, if one could even consider it a bath.Â  The small area was no more than a few meters each way each wall. It was glazed over by heat and the pool itself was heated by one of the few, and scarce, uncontaminated natural springs. Normally, the water had to be made, filtered, or both.Â  The war had tainted almost all natural water supplies. Her mind couldn't even grasp the last time she had seen a fish without a third eye or an extra fin.  
  
Her memory went back to the day her father had brought her up from the shelter. There were so many people: men, women, and children dead. There was so little food and nothing to drink unless you stole or had the resource to build the technology to help you. Many nights she went hungry just like the others and thirsty to the point of complete dehydration. Never the less her father always made sure she and the others were taken care of.Â   
  
Her mind drifted further back in her memory: seeing her father a firm, sturdy, and muscular man. He was still able to maintain his strength but he'd lost so much weight from sickness, and heartache.  
  
The earth felt cold as she drew out her hand to retrieve a thin metal disc from her pant pocket. With a simple flip, a small hologram appeared. The hologram revealed a woman.Â  No, she thought, you're not going to put yourself through this again. Mother's dead and no matter want she's not coming back. You can't bring back a woman who died 500 years ago.Â   
  
Flipping the disc off, she tossed it back near her pile of clothing. She relaxed back in the pool and sighed wearily. She leaned her head back into the water, her hands grazing over her arms with a make shift washcloth.Â  The small scars that covered her body were washed over, neglected.  
  
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and sank beneath the warm water. The darkness, which surrounded her, made her feel like she was in a good refuge away from all of her troubles. Only after feeling as if her lungs were about to burst, did she emerge from the water, gasping for the humid and dry air that surrounded her.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing, leave me be." She hated when he just popped in, especially when she was troubled.  
  
"Bullshit." He casually leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. There wasn't much hidden between anyone when it came to bodies and language. They had all been shot up, cut up, close to being blown up, and patched up - so seeing each other with little or no clothes was common.  
  
"Do you want me to thrash you?" she growled, threatening him.  
  
"No," he replied as he lifted the metal disc that she had thrown. He inspected it carefully for a few moments. "What's this?"  
  
"Don't touch that if you want to keep your arm." Her gazed turned into a glare, if you could call it a glare. Sometimes it was hard to mask hurt with anger for her, especially from him.  
  
"Relax," he said reassuringly as he tossed it over to her pile of clothes once more. "Look, me and Sanae were talking and we have a theory."  
  
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Uh-huh..."  
  
"The place that you hit wasn't the place that we need to hit."  
  
"Mmm."  
  
"We all know that those bastards have been hiding something for the last six months. We have a plan to find out what IT is."  
  
"Oh? How's that?"  
  
He smiled. "You going to tell me what's wrong?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then no."  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"Anyway are you all right?" he asked non-chalantly. They had not seen each other since the last mission.Â  They were constantly worried about each, but they could never show it. Too many people died every day. It was difficult to get attached because it hurt too much knowing that death was just around the corner.  
  
"Yeah, course I am, baka." She raised an eyebrow at him yet again. "I've had worse and you know it."  
  
"Maybe," he said and shrugged. He lifted himself from his crouching position.  
  
"Later than, Diao Chan."  
  
"Wait one damn minute!" she snapped. The dark haired girl lifted herself from the pool and narrowed her eyes at him. "You come down here, unload all that slag on me, then not explain yourself?"  
  
"There's no rule says I have to." He gave her a faint. Even though she was the oldest of the Samurai Troopers offspring, there were certain people who didn't allow her age to push them around. Shinji was four years younger than she was and yet he got through to her more than most people.  
  
Walking across the cavern, she fetched her clothes and hastily threw them on once more. She no inhibitions about doing this in front of him, yet with war going on you can afford only a few things to be shy about. She was proud of her body though sometimes she wondered what he thought of it.  
  
"Just wait up," she growled.  
  
He gave her a shallow grin. "Oh, now you're interested?"  
  
"Look Shinji," she started flatly, "my brothers and I... Our lives were on the line the last time we went out and the times before that. Now you're saying that it was for nothing? Bet your skinny pale ass I want to know what you're up to."  
  
Now dressed, she slipped on her boots and waited for him to say something, anything. He didn't.  
  
Together they journeyed from the bathing house to an inner labyrinth junction before he even said something somewhat coherent. Muttering was definitely something he picked up from his mother.  
  
"So what is it?" she asked as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. Her instincts kicked in to the unfamiliar place, noticing entrances, exits, dangers, and alternatives.  
  
"Remember when I went out a few weeks ago?" he started. "Sanae, Tan, and I were by the outer ghost docks."  
  
"Yeah, you went on patrol and were attacked." She shrugged. The ghost docks were empty harbors of what used to be shipyards in Japan. "What about it?"  
  
"And that Tan didn't come back?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
Shinji frowned. "It was a lie."  
  
"Excuse me?" Diao Chan gave him a very disconsolate expression. She placed her hands on her hips and barked, "You lied? About what?!"  
  
Shinji ran his fingers through his hair and sighed heavily. "Look, we found... We found the jiryoushu hovering around this huge machine that was generating incredible energy. We had no idea what it was so Tan went out to investigate it. He gave us the details of what the machine looked like but before we could confirm what it really was, we lost transmission and we had to leave. The youja soldiers had found us and it was too late to go back for him. After my sister and I escaped them, we hid out over by the ruins of Tokyo Tower. We took the time to piece the puzzles together. From the information Tan gave us we figured it out. Stupid as it sounds... What the youja have created... Well, what we think is... Is a time machine."  
  
Diao Chan simply stared at him for long moments, her dark eyes gazing deep into his. Her hands were at her sides, her fingers flexing slowly. He watched and soon enough, he saw that those relaxed hands turned into tight fists. He lifted his gaze and found that the young woman was seething.  
  
"I do not believe you Mouri Shinji," Diao Chan hissed, her tone edged with ice.  
  
"You didn't tell anyone? Not even our uncles? Not even your father? If you're right do you know what this means?"  
  
"It means that we're all dead," a voice spoke from behind. Of course, Diao Chan realized, where there was one twin, there was almost always the other.  
  
"Took ya long enough Sanae," she replied. Her eyes moved to look at Shinji's twin, but nothing else.  
  
"We don't know if it is a time machine or not," Sanae said in a smooth, gentle voice, "but we're guessing it is. If it is, then we have to find out what they're going to use it for."  
  
"Then we should tell everyone and get a plan together and destroy it!" Diao growled, "You don't just sit by and let those bastards get more time to move the thing or god knows what else!"  
  
"If we're wrong," Shinji began, "then many people might die because of our mistake. I won't do that."  
  
"I think we should investigate it ourselves," Sanae implied. She rubbed her arm absentmindedly and frowned slightly. "However, we can't tell father or the others. They will probably try to stop us and this is something we cannot afford to have halted."  
  
Diao Chan leaned back against a steel beam, her hands behind her head. She made a face and for a moment, she looked like Kongo no Shu when he was annoyed or puzzled about something in particular. "Okay that's fine and all, Sana-chan, but you think your father would WANT you two to go along with this? You know how gung ho he is about these missions we go on."  
  
"Mother's taken a turn for the worst..." The younger girl lowered her head some and her voice had softened. "And you know how father doesn't see her often. I... I mean he does still love her, perhaps overly so, but he's always gone on missions. We figured... By leaving, he won't have time to go after us. He'll go and stay with mother until..."  
  
"Enough. We know," Shinji said, cutting his sister off from her sentence. He made a tight fist and grit his teeth some, baring them. He didn't want his sister to admit aloud that their mother was dying. He didn't want the realization to come anytime soon.  
  
The daughter of Shu bit her lower lip then nodded. "Yeah I know what you mean.  
  
I... I'm going with you two to investigate the machine. Jin Huan and Rei Tsun are staying. They're too young to go and they have to stay and help the surviving humans seek refugee underground. I figure, if it's just going to be the three of us, it'll be even more dangerous. Taking dad, Shin-san, or the others is out of the question, most definitely. The Samurai Troopers are constantly fighting for the sake of humanity. This god forsaken world does have a chance if the Troopers can destroy Neo Chaos and its cronies. But..."  
  
She lowered her head and stared at the metal floors of the labyrinth and lowered her arms once more. "If we can figure out what the youja are going to do with the time machine, we can make a difference... We'll either be saving the world or destroying it. Either way, it seems to me that the outcome with all the be same: silence."  
  
  
  
  
  
"You think it was wise not to tell the sense?" Sanae frowned having second thoughts. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't help but look like her father. The auburn tinted hair and dark sea blue eyes set off the young looking face even when she frowned; it was hard to tell that she was unhappy.  
  
"Neither father or the others would let us do this," Shinji reminded her.  
  
"Course not. It's completely slag thing to do." Diao smirked almost finding this so crazy it was fun. "Besides, I'm your guys' elders so technically you are with an adult, heh."  
  
Shinji sweat dropped. "Yes, you only being four years older than us... Oh yay."  
  
He immediately grew serious once more and gazed outward. "Look they're hiding something we know that much so that justifies it. The warehouse is down there and to the right, Midori."  
  
Diao Chan took out a pair of viewers from her hip and peered down by the ancient dock area. She frowned. "There nothing down there. Are you sure about this?"  
  
"It make sense," Shinji said to her, keeping his voice low in case there were soldiers nearby. "If you want to hide something would you put a hundred guards around it drawing attention to us? Or do you post few guards with a major general posted inside to keep a few stragglers out?"  
  
"You're still saying that one of the Chaos's are here?"  
  
"Yes, I'm almost sure of it."  
  
Diao Chan sighed, "Then I guess we should go investigate no?"  
  
"I... have to stay behind and keep watch for anyone coming in on you unexpected. They'll sense you if I go with you." Shinji traced his gun some, looking ashamed. "I'm sorry."  
  
"Not your fault," Diao Chan assured him. None of the children could help with what they were inherited with. "Sanae and I will go in and take pictures and get more detailed information. We'll be back before you know it."  
  
Sanae stepped to the edge of the building, making sure her gun was strapped securely. "I will go in first. You follow me; I have been here before."  
  
"Be careful, sister," Shinji said, looking up at her from his position.  
  
"May the spirits protect us." With that, Sanae leaped from the building. Her shadow could be seen as it hit the pavement then melt into the other shadows.  
  
"I'll give her a three second start," Diao Chan stated as she quickly re-checked herÂ weapons. "Don't worry, I'll take care of her."  
  
"And who will take care of you then?"  
  
Diao Chan didn't know how to answer Shinji's question. There was suddenly so much worry in his voice. No, she thought to herself, it couldn't have been for her. It had to be for Sanae. "I can take care of myself."  
  
"There are others here who want to help," he began, "if you'd let them."  
  
She felt suddenly uncomfortable. She hated when she couldn't figure out what he was saying exactly. Shinji was like another brother to her. She didn't know if she could allow anything more of that.  
  
"All right I'm gone." She was about to jump when a hand grabbed hers for a brief moment.  
  
"Just take care of yourselves."  
  
"Look, no youja soldier has been able to take me yet. I'll be fine."  
  
He watched her silently plunge down the building. His eyes never left her and he saw her take the same path as his sister. Now he had to watch himself... Wait and hope that two women he loved came back alive.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
"How you feeling?"  
  
"Tired."  
  
"More than yesterday?"  
  
"About the same."  
  
Date Seiji slowly ran a washcloth along the suffering woman's head, removing any excess medicine from her forehead. "Then you're not getting worse."  
  
"I'm not getting any better either."  
  
"I thought you were the motivationalist of us?" He smiled faintly.  
  
"I'm sorry," Yuri sighed. "Lately, the children are so sad."  
  
Lifting himself from the bed, he began to put away the ointments and bottles he had used. "It's not easy on them, I'm sure."Â   
  
"They've all so grown so fast here, too fast. I can't help them as much anymore."  
  
"It never stops you from trying, Yuri-san. Besides they all still need you. If they didn't, they all wouldn't come to you."Â   
  
He knew the reason for that too; it hurt to a point to admit it. When the war began and the children were still young, someone had to stay behind and protect them, to teach them. It was difficult trying to win a war and to be a parent, if not impossible. However they all tried their best to do so.Â   
  
At times, his own children seemed distant from him; well from his own view of how they should of grown up. Tanria was sometimes callous about so many things, and Shiko seemed seemingly lost in his role. His son and daughter raised themselves more than he would admit, more than he could let himself admit. Yuri saw more of them then he did, then and now.  
  
"They need something more now then what I can give them." Yuri's voice was distant from the bed.Â   
  
Seiji grimaced. "What is that?"  
  
"I don't know if I could tell you, for I don't know if anyone in this world really has it anymore."  
  
"Seiji?" A questioning voice entered the room quietly.  
  
"I was just leaving Shin." He frowned some. He wondered how to tell him, how to tell him that there was no change that her body was slowly running down and there was nothing they could do to stop it. How do you tell a friend that? How could you tell a friend that one of the ones they loved so dearly was dying?  
  
"Is she awake?" Shin asked.  
  
"Course I am," she said herself.  
  
Seiji stood up and placed the washcloth onto the nightstand beside the bed.  
  
"I will leave you two for now. See you later, Yuri-san."  
  
"Be safe Seiji."  
  
The bearer of the Korin no yoroi was already heading out the door, avoiding Shin's hopeful look, in fear of destroying it.  
  
"I thought you were out?" Yuri suggested, her voice hoarse.  
  
Shin placed his cap at the foot of their bed before going over and sitting next  
  
to her. "I came back early, it's actually quiet out there. How are you today?"  
  
"I'm fine, Shin. Please don't worry."  
  
"Funny how you tell me to do that and yet can't find it in yourself not to worry about me." He brushed some of the hair from her vacant eyes while her hand traced his face slowly. He winced some not liking her going over the old scars that his face held, not liking the ugliness he thought he was becoming.  
  
"You haven't been home for many days," she said softly.  
  
He kissed her hand. "I know. I'm sorry"  
  
"And you haven't been taking your rest shifts. I can feel the marks on your face." She gave him a frown of her own. "You have to sleep."  
  
"So do you. I heard you've been very tired lately."  
  
"Don't change the subject. I know I'm going to die."  
  
"Yuri!" he growled. "Stop saying such things."  
  
"Shin please, I am tired."  
  
The war had taken her eyesight, her strength, and so much hope that she once had. Now war was taking her from him.Â   
  
"You're not going to die," he insisted. He took her hand and held it tight; she only sighed.  
  
"I have to go talk to the others. You should rest. I'll be back in a hour I promise." He kissed her forehead lightly, avoiding the small scares from the burns.  
  
"Have you seen the children?"  
  
"Aikyo is with Tanria so she's is fine. I have not seen our twins and Shu cannot find  
  
Diao Chan now."  
  
"Shinji loves Diao Chan but he's scared."  
  
"Of what?"  
  
"Losing her, like you're losing me."  
  
"Yuri please, no more." He sighed and held her petite body close to him. She had lost so much weight, but to him she was still beautiful. "Just rest I'll be here by time you wake up."  
  
"All right, Shin." A sigh came out from her lips and she closed her eyes.Â   
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
Rei Tsun flipped through the book, his eyes swimming across the text and pictures. When not fighting, he was often found reading something. It helped him take away the pain, both physical and mental, from the battles. There were times that the only thing he indeed looked forward to after battle was not for a bath or food, but for a good book to curl up with.  
  
Jin Huan was sitting next to his brother, his round eyes fixed on the device he held in his hands. Over the years he had watched Tenku no Touma tinker with vast amount of computers and machines. The blue haired genius would often teach the young twelve-year old how to take part or put together simple machinery. Jin was skilled enough to where he could make his own assault weapon if he desired.  
  
The twins' father, Shu, was nearby sitting on an old couch, just watching them.  
  
He sat there in full armor but without his helmet. His helmet was on top of the coffee table that was right in front of him. The three of them were inside one of the living quarters in their base. This was one rare opportunities in which Shu and his children could spend time together, not counting the battles they fought outside in Neo Tokyo. Shu ached for just a few hours of peace. Where he wouldn't have to listen to the sound of gunfire outside of their base, where he knew he wouldn't have to worry about being attacked by soldiers or spirits. The days of peace were long gone, now that the youja dominated both the Youjakai and Ningenkai.  
  
Glancing out the window, Shu noticed the dark clouds that forever blanketed the skies. He often wondered if the sun, the huge flaming star, even existed anymore. He had been centuries since he had last seen sunlight. Odd... Centuries he'd say. He knew very well that none of them should be alive. They should have all died long ago. But because of the youja's influence, their dark magic had polluted the atmosphere, creating a chemical imbalance. All those who lived on the earth - their life spans increased ten fold, but only because the poison had contaminated their bodies. This was both a blessing and a curse.  
  
The mystical armors also played a role in the life spans of the Troopers. Shu was aware of the power of the armors, the armors that were given to them by Suzunagi. The new generation of Samurai Troopers, the ones who wore the armors Kaosu created long ago, fought for humanity as well, but they were constantly at the front line so they did not interact with the old Troopers often.  
  
"Dad, look what I made!"  
  
Shu turned away from the window and found Jin standing before him. The young boy held out the device he had been working on. Shu silently took it and pressed the single button that was easily visible. He watched in awe as tiny holographic images of a figure appeared. It appeared to be a teenage boy--no, a girl. It was a teenage female wearing a Japanese school uniform for males. She was tall with pale skin; long dark hair tied back and dark brown eyes. She had a hand on her hip and a faint smile on her face.  
  
"You like it, dad?" Jin asked hopefully. He placed his hands on Shu's knee and awaited for approval.  
  
"It's wonderful, kiddo," Shu whispered, his eyes watering. "You really outdid yourself, Jin Huan... You really did. I love it."  
  
Jin grinned and scratched his head. "Thanks. Glad you like it. Happy Birthday Dad."  
  
His father drew him into his arms and embraced him, but not bring him too close for the armor might hurt him. Jin hugged him back but frowned inward. He and everyone else knew that Shu missed his wife. Even after five hundred years, it still hurt him. He endured in such heartache; it's a wonder if he would ever recover from the loss. 


	2. Earth is hell 2

Ch. 2  
  
Secrets Reveled and a Race Home  
  
Her eyes moved but nothing else. Her body was stiff as a statue and her breathing was nothing but a soft purr. The entrails of the building were dry and hot. The air itself was so rank that it made her stomach turn. She could sense Diao Chan nearby; the soldiers seemed to cover the inside of the building like ants on a piece of food. The faint reminder that she had to lead Diao Chan to the main room lingered. She hoped Diao Chan was at least taking pictures of half of this. The ironic and morbid humor of how one's adrenaline and senses could be on fire and yet can trick the body into being calm; no discreet was always a wonder to her.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
Her muscles were tense with fire and her concentration burned through each solider as they passed her. A bit of anger raced through her veins like white fire as she moved herself deeper into the pit of the building. If Shinji was right, he should have told the others sooner. They couldn't let the bastards get ahead of them. Unwanted feelings filled her as she realized that the possibility of Shinji or Sanae not coming back because of what they found hit her cold. She was unfazed in her task at hand; she was a skillful fighter and a greater defender.  
  
Diao Chan followed the aura of Sanae through the bowels of the building and noticed the temperature decrease as they proceeded.Â  She photographed several passages, ID pads, and cooling units.Â  Whatever was in here was to be kept in the cold or needed to be cooled down rapidly: she was going to find out which. The number of soldiers contributed the blackness that hung from the walls. She stopped as she noticed Sanae take a daring jolt across the corridor and frowned at the ignorant maneuver.Â   
  
However, Diao Chan frowned as a single door came into view.Â  It was a simple door but thick, narrow for only a single person; that usually meant easier sniper target. She envisioned the scene as she saw: Sanae walked through the door and a sniper inside waited for his catch, the red-hot shot burning through her friend. Her mind raced for ways around the scenario but found little and the thoughts grew darker as the identification pad glared from the side of the door. The photos took within a second and in clarity for Tenku no Touma to go over when they returned... if they would return.  
  
Now they would have to deal with the soldiers outside, break in and around the identification devices, and tackle with the mysteries inside the room. It was a dangerous and almost suicidal idea.  
  
A smirk formed on Diao Chan's face, making her look more like her mother than she knew. She loved the challenge, thrill. Sometimes you just had to dance with death to feel alive, in order to feel something.  
  
As she covertly approached Sanae, she felt nothing showing her cold sarcastic shell as her father would in any battle.  
  
The auburn haired girl silently explained everything through sign language and symbols. She immediately took notice and took pictures of the single air vent that lead into the room and lay at the very top of the 15- foot wall. It would be big enough for a single person, more likely a small person. The next scenario ran through her mind in a hot flash second: someone would have to go in. They needed to be quick and taciturn enough to hide until the people outside broke in. She hoped that person would be able to kill the sniper and hold off any frontal assault on the door. Of course that was when they would attack the building. As of now they just needed to get in that room, get some evidence, and maybe cause some damage - whatever came first.  
  
The youja won't know what hit them, Sanae said earlier to Diao Chan. The daughter of Kongo couldn't agree more. She wanted to show Rekka and the others that they were capable of taking down the enemy through strategy. They were going to make it!  
  
Sanae signaled them for their leave and Diao Chan nodded. The two girls slowly rose to their feet when a chilly laughter filled the air.  
  
"Well now, what do we have here?" a female voice chided. "Two little mice trying to sneak some cheese out? I think not."  
  
Diao Chan and Sanae whirled around and discovered one of the Samurai Troopers' mortal enemies standing before them: Megumi, one of the carriers of Neo-Chaos.  
  
Megumi's long green hair flowed along the icy winds and her blue eyes, once filled with such innocents, were narrowed at the girls. Her body was covered in what appeared to be dark brown-greenish crystal armor. On her right hand was a hideous, alien-like claw that dripped with blood.  
  
"It's too bad my partner, Harunobu isn't here," Megumi murmured with a faint smile upon her thin red lips. "He would've loved to get his claws on you."  
  
In a panic, Sanae grabbed Diao Chan's arm and shouted, "Let's go!"  
  
Diao Chan shoved her away gently and shook her head. "No way! The Samurai  
  
Troopers wouldn't run and I won't either! We can't show weakness to the enemy!"  
  
"Diao Chan!" Sanae yelled urgently. "We don't have time to waste--!"  
  
Alas Mouri Sanae's words failed to strike a cord. She watched helplessly as Diao Chan and the deadly Megumi battled. Diao Chan used her gun and her mighty fists, yet Megumi was able to gracefully dodge all of her attempts. Megumi lunged to the side as Diao Chan swung her fist and missed her.  
  
"Damn!" the girl cursed. She heard Sanae cry out a warning but she couldn't respond in time. Megumi had appeared behind Diao Chan; the woman struck the girl down with a swipe of her claw and sent her crashing to the ground. Luckily Diao  
  
Chan's invulnerability saved her from getting a scar, but never the less the attack hurt.  
  
Sanae was about to help her friend when suddenly a tremendous blast of water exploded forth and slammed into Megumi. The green-haired woman screamed as she was sent tumbling across the ground, away from the two girls. Sanae felt her heart thumping wildly in her chest; there were only a few people who had power over the water...  
  
"Shinji!" Diao Chan exclaimed as the young man landed before her. "You shouldn't have come."  
  
Shinji shook his head and helped his leader to her feet. Sanae joined the duo and said, "How did you find us, brother?"  
  
"Father told me to fetch you," Shinji replied dryly. "He's very mad."  
  
"Is there a time when Suiko isn't mad?" Diao Chan muttered under her breath.  
  
All of a suddenly sirens were heard all around the trio of warriors. Metal doors were heard sliding open and the sound of foot soldiers marching their way could be heard echoing throughout the air. Time for them to leave!  
  
Diao Chan took off and the Mouri twins followed her footsteps without fail.  
  
Behind them they could hear the youja soldiers coming after them, followed by Megumi's commands to destroy them. Suddenly they skid to a halt as soldiers dropped down from the ceiling and attacked without warning. The three warriors were forced to scatter, wanting to defend themselves without having to crowd one another. Sanae frowned as she discovered that she was surrounded by literally thousands of soldiers. With quick thinking, she was able to escape death's hand and sprint down the hall at the first chance she got.  
  
How where they going to get out of here? They couldn't hold off soldiers AND Neo-Chaos' minions by themselves. They needed to escape. They couldn't make it through the door with the number of soldiers waiting for them on the other side and the vent was out of the question. Sanae's heart beat like a jackhammer as sudden fear laced through her body, the pain in her arm numbed out by adrenaline. Her brother was now in trouble as well as Diao Chan. She could feel their pain and yet she couldn't hold the soldiers off for much longer. The machine behind them still hummed menacingly, making her attention drift towards the cold flashes of air passing by her. Someone had gone through the machine, which was even a bigger problem now.Â  But cooling units had to be drained. Her mind snapped as she raced over to the machine. There on the floor were three cooling drains. It was their only escape possible, the only chance they had.  
  
"Over here! We have to go!"  
  
Shinji cursed as he raced towards his sister but stopped in mid-step. He saw  
  
Diao Chan still standing there, facing the murder of thousands. It wasn't a time for revenge because there was more at stake right now.Â   
  
"We have to go, Diao Chan!" he hollered. He grabbed her wrist, ignoring the gunfire that surrounded them. He noticed his sister prying something from the ground, the fresh blood still streaming down her arm. He spotted the vent but Diao Chan made sure that he and Sanae went first, none of them knowing where this would take them exactly, nor did they have a choice of where to go.  
  
  
  
They had made it to the central belly of the city's sewer system. Diao Chan swiftly took lead, having been down in the area not more than a day ago. The pitter-patter steps across the water turned into loud splashes as they raced towards the edge of the city. She was stone cold on the outside, not speaking unless necessary to the younger children behind her. Ice queen on the outside, her senses blazed for any sign of attack. In the back of her mind, she kept a constant vigil of the camera in her hip pack. So much now laid in Tenku's analysis of the pictures. He could hopefully tell them where, when, and who went through the machine just before they had arrived.  
  
"Diao! Wait a minute!" Breathing heavily, Sanae leaned against a wall.  
  
"Please," she pleaded, "I need a minute to rest."  
  
"We don't have a minute!" the older girl snapped. "We don't even have a second! Don't you understand we have to get back to the others to tell them what we found? For all we know there are soldiers on our tails as we just wait!"  
  
"Midori, get a grip!" Shinji snarled slightly as he over to his sister and checked on her wound; he ignored his own for the moment. "We can't do anything if she bleeds to death. We'll get to the others one way or the other."  
  
Diao Chan's hands clenched. The feelings from before returned to her. It was his fault. It was because of him. Damn him. She was worried about him for the crazy things; he was doing this to protect her. Anger flowed through her veins because he was trying to protect her and his sister.Â  Damn him for making her feel this way and for making her work so hard to hide it all: how she felt now for him and about what Neo-Chaos said.  
  
"Come on," she finally said as she spun on her heel, "we shouldn't stop moving.  
  
We'll just take it slower." Diao didn't wait for a rebuke for she simply started walking away.  
  
"You okay?" Shinji frowned at his sister as they walked after Diao.  
  
Sanae offered him a weak smile. "I'm sure I'll survive. Besides, you're hurt too. Badly."  
  
"I'll be okay, I'm sure." He gave her a thin smile. "Anyway, I couldn't wait any longer."  
  
"I understand." Sanae gave her brother a knowing grin then glanced at their current leader. "She will too one day."  
  
"Maybe."  
  
Paranoia can be one's friend and enemy and at times both. It mixed in an ironic play on senses and emotions. It took them twice as long to get to the safe line and it seemed too easy to detour the last of the soldiers; like a plague, the tension spread. While Diao Chan gratefully met the catacombs of the underground, her edginess didn't leave her mind for she still scanned every shadow and beyond. Her dark hair was now matted with sweat and dried blood from the scratch on her face, yet she showed no signs of it bothering her or the throbbing ache in her hip. On the other hand, Sanae was starting to show signs of significant blood loss as she leaned on her brother. Her auburn hair was darken by the dirt and her face had grown much paler, if that was even possible.  
  
Diao Chan tensed as they passed the green checkpoint. No one was there; unusual and unplanned. Her plans were now shattered before her eyes. She hoped that help would be here if they needed it, if the soldiers did follow them... for someone to take Sanae back with the pictures before anything could happen. It was all shattered. They would have to make the journey to the core alone, unaided, and with an injured friend. She turned around and met Shinji's knowing eyes: he had come to the same conclusion as her. He gave her a small smile and a nod before picking his sister up in his tired, aching arms.  
  
"We're not going to do much standing here, are we?"  
  
She beamed. "Hai, lets go."Â   
  
Looking at the gun in her hand, she led the way once more.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
"We did look everywhere," Aikyo implied as she placed her hands placed on her hips. "We even took people from the posts to have them search. We haven't seen them at all."  
  
"It is the truth," Tanria said. She nodded and sighed, brushing her hair from her face. "If they went into the city, we don't know where."  
  
Rekka no Ryo frowned at them in response. Now was not the time to start losing track of people. Too much was off balance lately. The once raven hair was still just as dark, but intertwined with silver hair from worry and stress. The cobalt eyes were stripped of emotion. "Scout the areas again and don't stop until you either find them or proof they are dead."  
  
"Yes sir." Then he was gone before Tanria finish growling some.  
  
"Don't take it personal, Tanz," Aikyo offered. "You know he's been that way for awhile now," She flipped her hair over her shoulder, smiling as the silver and blue strands feel into place.  
  
"Don't call me that you spaz," Tanria retorted as she started to walk away from her best friend. She pulled at her own golden hair and said, "He shouldn't take out his stuff on us. We're not his children."  
  
She heard the laughter behind her and the sudden pressure on her back. "Get off me, you baka!" Tanria pushed Aikyo from her back and glared at her. "Just try that again and I'll use Korin Ken to pierce that other ear!"  
  
"Nah, you wouldn't!" The silver-blue hair girl grinned. "Who would cover for you when you sneak off to see Anubisu's boy, hmmm?"  
  
"Aikyo!" Tanria snarled. "At least my mother knows about us, unlike like your sister sneaking off to see Anazi-kun all the time and your parents don't even know!"  
  
"Hmmm." Aikyo grimaced and shrugged. "Sanae doesn't think father and mother will approve."  
  
"Do you really think that is true?" Tanria sighed to herself, unsure of how to tell her father about him.  
  
"Don't know. I think... I think Sanae just doesn't want mother sad before she dies."  
  
"Hey, you don't know for sure if she's going to die. My mother and father are taking care of her."  
  
"True, but Seiji-san is always out with the others fighting and your mother is constantly taking care of refugees and defenses here." Aikyo lowered her head some as the continued to walk. "Besides, she's been in so much pain lately. Maybe it's time for her to rest."  
  
Tanria slipped an arm around Aikyo's shoulders and smiled at her. No words can heal something that aches inside so badly. "Thanks Tanria," she whispered.  
  
"No problem, fish face," The lavender eyes danced with compassion and for a moment, she looked like Korin no Seiji.  
  
"Shut up, sun head. Come on, let's try and find the three musketeers before everyone starts thinking the worse." Aikyo took a small data pad from her hip and typed in a few commands.  
  
Tanria shrugged. "Well if they did get in trouble it's their own damn faults.  
  
Not telling anyone where they're going or what they were planning, letting us all wonder.." Her fingers checked her side arm then trailed to the sword hilt on her hip. "They have to learn to be more responsible."  
  
"We're talking about Diao Chan here. Combined with the troublesome duo, they're about as bad as your bro."  
  
"Hey! I make no excuses for my brother."  
  
"Tanz! He's SO a mama's boy! Shiro just screams it! Your mother must've  
  
contaminated him, I swear."  
  
"Sounds like you like him." A laugh escaped the pale throat.  
  
"Oh... just... shut up! Come on, let's try closer to the city."  
  
"Why there?"  
  
"Why not?" Aikyo slipped the pad back on her hip and activated her bo. "It's them for all we know. They tried something really stupid. And... I have a bad feeling."  
  
"Oh, that just makes me want to go," Tanria muttered, rolling her eyes.  
  
Aikyo skipped a few feet in front of her and shot back a challenging glance.  
  
"Shush. I'll race you to red post!"  
  
  
  
"We need to stop again." Tiredness laced his voice as he dropped to his knees, laying his sister's body down softly.  
  
"Again? Is she getting worse?"  
  
"Just... too much blood loss." His hand brushed the sweat-laden bangs from his eyes, hating what the burning, salty substance did to his eyes.  
  
"Can't you give her blood?"  
  
"Hai, but do you see a transfusion unit anywhere close?"  
  
"If my brothers were here they would just whip one together." Diao Chan smirked.  
  
"That I could see." Shinji's voice didn't lighten as he looked at his sister.  
  
"I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I should have paid more attention."  
  
"It isn't your fault, Midori. Stop it."  
  
"It is my fault!" Diao growled fists at her sides. She cried out, "I was suppose to take care of you two! I'm the oldest!"  
  
"Midori-chan, get a clue! Neo-Chaos was there! We're only three people!"  
  
"I shouldn't have mattered!"  
  
Shinji finally gave up and went back to tending his sister.  
  
"Don't you find it a bit strange that they didn't go after us with a Battalion  
  
Plus One?" she mused. "We found out their secret and yet they didn't follow us outside the city. I don't like it."  
  
"We're not suppose to like it, Diao. It's war." He looked back up at her and saw the sleep deprivation and stress mirrored in her. He had to admit to himself that he was more worried about his sister and what his father would say when they got back. Trying to justify the information was worth the risk and the injuries.  
  
Diao Chan began to pace for a few moments before she sighed. She clenched her darken hands together. "Maybe you should stay here while I book it to find the others. We shouldn't move her anymore than we have to."  
  
"And if an attack does come like you keep saying it should, I can't hold them off for that long. We should stay together - she'll make it."  
  
"You hope." Diao ended his thought, her wide eyes reading into his. The coolness of the tunnels was getting to her as with the luminescent dull glow of the yellow lights. She leaned against the opposite wall and laced her fingers behind her head. She breathed in the dampened air along but then coughed. The polluted city air lingered in her lungs, not to mention the sewer air.  
  
"You're right," Shinji said as he looked up at her. "I hope. It's not a big hope but it's a small one. Right now that's all I have."  
  
"You can't just hope forever. You have to make things happen unless you get killed like father says."  
  
"Maybe you're right. But... my mother said we should always have just a little hope. I don't know why she says that but I have to try for her at least. And now for Sanae."  
  
She looked down at her wasting friend: the dried blood caked her clothes, mixed with gunpowder and filth. The normally cheerful face now in morbid peace. She now was grateful it was only them that had gone. Shinji was right: if they had told the others, so many would be in Sanae's condition. Either that or dead. She wasn't going to let this happen. She wasn't going to just stand here and give up.  
  
"Here," she said as she handed him the few power packs she had along with her small gun. "I'm going to go ahead. I'll be back, I promise."  
  
"You can't go without any weapons! What happens if one of the crypts come out?!"  
  
Diao Chan shrugged. After what happened earlier, no over sized mutated rat was going to keep her from getting home. "I'll be fine."  
  
"You said that back at the warehouse too," Shinji growled.  
  
She gave him a wink and made her way down the cavern. "Trust me. I know what I'm doing!" 


	3. Earth Is hell 3

Ch.3  
  
Coming Home…  
  
The silent steps through the tunnels made her back arch and her trigger finger itch. Diao Chan had made it more than half way to the main core of the hideout and yet she saw no one. This wasn't right. There should be guards, soldiers, or even Neo-Chaos herself!  
  
She made herself come to a frightful calm as she tried to suppress the anger she felt. She was worried about the two people she left behind. She stopped in midst ride and stretched her neck. She spun around and in a blink of an eye, she was crouched by the nearest wall. Her gun was aimed on the shadow in the upper crevice of the tunnel.  
  
"There you are!"  
  
Diao Chan blinked.  
  
"Jeez! Do you know what we've been through trying to find you!" Aikyo came out of the dark.  
  
Diao Chan's hand didn't relax, as her gun was still honed on to her cousin—maybe it wasn't her cousin. Maybe that's why the tunnels were unprotected. When they were gone, the youja had attacked and killed them all. If that were the case, she'd kill them all before she allowed herself to die.  
  
"Diao Chan…" Tanria slowly emerged, her eyes frowning, "Hey, it's us. Where's the duo?"  
  
"Who are you?" Paranoia streaked Diao Chan's voice and her gun unwavered from the two girls.  
  
"Diao Chan, calm down. It's us."  
  
"How do I know that? Why aren't there any guards? Why wasn't anyone at the green post?!"  
  
"Diao Chan! Everyone's been ordered out to look for you!"  
  
"Me?"  
  
"And the twins! You've all been gone for almost two days!"  
  
Diao Chan's mind raced to register the information. Two days? No. Five maybe eight hours, but not two days.  
  
"That's impossible."  
  
"No it's not. We were sent to look for you after none of you showed up for guard duties and not to mention rations."  
  
"No, you're lying." Diao Chan began to feel angry and more confused.  
  
Aikyo looked at Tanria, her brow crossed in worry. "What's wrong with her?"  
  
"Diao Chan, what can we do to prove that it's… us?"  
  
The daughter of Kongo craned her neck, her unbelieving eyes looking over the two girls.  
  
"When… I was 5-years old, you dared your brother to do something that I hit you for and made you swear never to tell anyone."  
  
Aikyo gave Diao Chan a confused look, which turned thoughtful. Diao Chan knew this would be hard; five was a long, long time for any of them. A bright smile suddenly crossed the oldest Mouri child's lips.  
  
"I dared Shinji to kiss you!" Aikyo giggled, "He was only 3 at the time."  
  
Diao Chan smiled.  
  
****  
  
Shinji and Diao Chan were being escorted quickly to the meeting room since their injuries were less sever and the Sensei's wanted news now. A few other of their cousins followed silently. Half of them were mad for not being asked to go and the other half were mad because they had to go.  
  
In both Shinji and Diao Chan's minds, they wondered who would be the worst one to face: Korin would most likely give them a cold expression of deep disapproval but no more. Rekka and Tenku would give similar looks and added beratement. But… Suiko and Kongo, their fathers—they would be the worse. Rajura-san would be there along with Anubisu-san but they would say very little as always. Of course Rajura-san had never been the same since he had gone blind and was now using one of Tenku's invention's to distinguish heat patterns at least and for the benefit of all had been restricted to last line defense.  
  
Diao Chan gripped the small camera tightly, giving her a renewed sense of self-justice. What they did was right and the pictures would prove it.  
  
The door gave way to a simple snapping hiss and they entered. The cool steel interior shined dully with the low artificial lighting. The seven men sat around the table silent.  
  
"Everyone leave except for Diao Chan and Shinji," Rekka said from his chair at the head of the table.  
  
There were a few hesitations but the rest complied and left without a grumble or a whisper.  
  
Shinji cleared his throat and began to talk. "We…"  
  
"I don't think you're in a position to speak," Suiko looked up from his hands at his son. "What you three did was irresponsible, threatening, and a danger."  
  
"Suiko if you'd only listen to what we found!" Diao Chan growled out.  
  
"I would be quiet young lady," Kong informed his daughter from his own seat, though he did not look at her. Diao Chan could read the facial expression on her father's face. She felt suddenly hurt because of that expression.  
  
"No dammit! You will listen to me!"  
  
Her fist came down at the end of the table, cracking the surface but not enough to break it. "You don't know what we saw or what we found! You're too damn busy thinking that we're children but we're not! What we did may have been dangerous but it was no less dangerous than what each of you have been through!"  
  
"She's right," Shinji stepped in and stood closer beside her. "Besides I first mentioned the idea to Diao Chan. The reason Tan died was for this information. At least listen to us."  
  
Diao Chan could feel Shinji trying to will tranquillity and reason into her mind but she would have none of it. She was tired, wet, bloody, upset, scared, and down right pissed. She knew she could work through tired, wet, and bloody and she would never admit to being scared. Yet she wouldn't hide her anger for the stupid way they were being treated.  
  
"You've been gone for almost two days," Korin spoke first and evenly. "I hope what you say you have was worth the concern you put most of us through."  
  
"It is," Diao Chan snapped and slapped her camera on top of the table. "I took pictures. It's a machine of some kind and they used it and it was guarded heavily and one of Neo-chaos's flunkies was there also."  
  
The ending remark made all the men give either a raised eyebrow, chin, or stare.  
  
"I'll look at the pictures," Tenku said standing up from the table and retrieving the camera.  
  
Rekka rose from his seat and fixed his blue eyes at the two teenagers. "Till he can pick through what you took pictures of," he began, "I want each of you to tell us why you went where you went, where you went, what you saw, and what happened." Rekka paused before adding, "Step-by- step."  
  
***  
  
Drained and exhausted, Diao Chan collapsed on her bed. The last 4- hour interrogation was pointless and boring as hell. The last 2-hours she felt like she was repeating herself over and over again and at the same time defending what she did. The thing that bothered her the most was everyone's intent on convincing them that they had been gone for almost two days. She looked at her chronometer. It had stopped.  
  
With an impatient growl she tore the thing off and threw it onto her small nightstand. As her eyes closed she realized she was sleeping on new bedding material. The bed was softer and she always insisted on being the last to accept any trivial things. Well that is only after everyone else had been treated to first.  
  
"Diao Chan?"  
  
She heard a small voice call out. She blinked and sat up in her bed. She gazed at the silhouette in the doorway.  
  
"Rei Tsun." She frowned. "What is it?"  
  
The younger boy slowly came into the room. "Did I disturb you?"  
  
"Hmm, make it quick and you won't be."  
  
He smiled and went over to her with something behind his back, "Well… tomorrow is your birthday…"  
  
It is? She thought for a moment before looking back up at her brother. "Yeah, guess it is."  
  
"I figured you may want a gift after having such a hard time. Besides everyone says that you took on Neo-Chaos yourself and came back! I'm so proud to say you're my sister!"  
  
"Rei…" Daio shook her head. "I didn't take Neo-Chaos on by myself." She knew the words would do very little. Small hope and rumors ran through the colonies faster than the poison in the ground. And all three of her little siblings never listened much to her if someone was spreading a rumor about how great someone was.  
  
In an odd sense, she thought, it's like they're trying to find heroes. She sighed. Some hero I am.  
  
"Anyway," he said with a smile, "here." From his hands came forth a small box. She took it slowly and admired it.  
  
"Where did…did you find the paper at?" she asked, amazed at the shiny appearance of the covering. She hadn't seen anything like it since she was very young. Shinning boxes under a large green tree. She suddenly felt sad inward...  
  
"Momma! Can I open a present?" a child cried in shadows from red and green lights.  
  
"Midori, Christmas is only two days away!"  
  
"Aww, Momma!"  
  
"Love, it's only two days. Let her open one."  
  
"Please!"  
  
"Oh fine, but only one!"  
  
"Yay!"  
  
"She reminds me so much of you, my houseki." A large hand surrounded the woman's waist and pulled her near. He smiled at her as he felt the small kick from her belly.  
  
"It's a Usagi (Sailormoon) doll!" the child cried.  
  
"You like it?"  
  
"Oh it's the best, Momma! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" The small girl ran to the larger woman and buried her face into the long brown hair.  
  
"You're welcome my little rock."  
  
"Sis? Hey sis?"  
  
Daio Chan looked up and brushed a stray tear away as she begun to open the box, "I'm going as fast as I can."  
  
Rei Tsun scratched his head and sat down on the ground. "What's the hurry?" he inquired.  
  
"Nothing. Just have to go see Rekka and the others soon so..." Her sentence trailed off as she found herself staring at an old ragged doll with dirty blonde hair, painted blue eyes, and wearing a sailor fuku. It was her Sailormoon doll from so long ago! It was amazing how 500-years did little to damage this precious childhood toy in which she thought was lost so long ago.  
  
"Rei," she whispered as the tears fell down her cheeks, "how in the world...?"  
  
The boy simply beamed. "Happy Birthday, Diao Chan."  
  
The now 19-year old girl made her way over to her little brother and embraced him, careful not to crush him with her super strength. She then kissed his forehead and smiled happily at her doll. Memories of her mother and her father, before she became a big sister, appeared in brief, happy images.  
  
"Thank you, Rei Tsun," she said, "thank you."  
  
***  
  
"Mother?"  
  
"Sanae, you're home," a horse yet happy voice came from the bed.  
  
The small girl went to her mother's side and took the pale hand. "Yes, we're all fine. Just cuts and bruises but we're here, safe and sound."  
  
Sanae smiled as she felt the old hand reach for the side of her face. "You look well."  
  
"I look horrible."  
  
Yuri smiled at her eldest daughter. "Thank you, though. I'm so glad you're okay. I had a horrible dream."  
  
"It's ok," she continued, "Like I said all cuts and bruises we're all home. They're looking through what we brought back now. You'll see we'll stop these youja from whatever they're planning and then we can focus on curing you."  
  
"What did you see?"  
  
Sanae gave her mother an odd face and was glad the older woman was blind. Her mother very rarely wanted to know what they did or what they saw because it always saddens her.  
  
"A machine… it was huge and it looks like they tried it out. It could be a weapon or who knows…but we caught it in time I hope so we can stop them."  
  
"Take me to see the Samurai Troopers."  
  
"What?"  
  
Sanae looked at her mother in astonishment. "But you're too weak! I wont move you!"  
  
"Sanae I need to talk to them. This is important. I feel something coming, something that will snuff out the last bit of hope we have in this world. We can't loose that, we just can't afford to. It's all we have left."  
  
***  
  
Tenku no Touma studied each slide as it flashed across the vid screen. The place was heavily guarded yes, but that wasn't what was worrying him. It was the machine itself. He had never seen anything like it.  
  
Diao Chan was right when the machine needed a high impact cooling system but that was only because of the high production of heat it created during its use. According to her readings the machine must have had been previously used before they discovered it. The temperature had increased almost double and then the cooling units kicked in, which was the only reason why the Mouri girl was able to find the vent.  
  
He flipped through the images repeatedly. He was missing something but he didn't know what. He could find the power source and production but none of that information was giving him viable answers as to what the machine's main purpose was when it was operating.  
  
Growling, he ran his metal hand through his white streaked indigo hair.  
  
"Problems?" Kristina, his wife, asked as she came into the lab carrying a small tray of rations for him. "You're probably starving to death and that's why you can't think."  
  
"No," he answered, "I'm not hungry."  
  
"What are you looking at?"  
  
He sighed. "Pictures and vid data that Diao Chan and the twin's got. It's some machine they've created."  
  
"What's it for?" She placed a hand on his shoulder lightly.  
  
"I'm not sure myself. There's rumors buzzing around but I can't find any evidence to support any of them."  
  
"Perhaps Jin Haun or one of our children could help. Hestia, well she's down the hall and Janus is always willing to help. Aerith is busy though."  
  
"I don't think so." He shook his head and said, "I've been over everything."  
  
"It'll come to you," she said and kissed his forehead. "I have to head back to the infirmary now. We've had another break out of chicken pox you believe that?"  
  
An ironic smiled crossed his face. "You'd think that after everything they'd destroyed they could of at least of taken the common cold and some other annoying aliments too."  
  
"We're not so lucky ne?" She smiled then look at one of the many slides on the screen. "Who knows what they are trying to destroy next."  
  
"I'm not sure. No one really ever knows until…" It's too late, he thought with a sigh. A twang of pain and hurt from what had happen to them in the past hit him momentarily.  
  
"You'll figure it out," Kristina said. Her dark hair was short and cropped, which fell over her face. "I have to go now. I need to get the water purifiers turned on in the southern tunnel…See you later tonight. It's your night off rotation no?"  
  
"Hai, but I won't promise anything right now till I can figure this out…and if I do…"  
  
"All right then. I hope to see you later at least."  
  
With that she left with a small and sad countenance about her.  
  
He sighed and went back to the task at hand. He flipped through the slides one by one and inspected them, making sure he could identify every detail.  
  
A few hours crept by and his eyes became strained and tired. This was happening way too often these days. At times like these he actually felt old, tired, and at a point of wanting to rest.  
  
Looking at his watch he frowned. "Damn lithium batteries, should have used the newer batteries."  
  
He tossed it onto his worktable, a table his children had lovingly named "The Table of Old Unfixable Stuff." The name stuck and circulated throughout the small communities. People would bring him simple things from the past to either fix or just to get rid of.  
  
Peering at one of the vid cells, he let his brows furrowed. Diao Chan had insisted that it had only been a few hours since they left, yet everyone here was also insistent that they had been gone longer. He stared harder at the machine and after a few seconds, he gave into his pride and slipped on a pair of glasses.  
  
14:00 was what the machine read.  
  
He sat back and thought for a moment. He remembered the news about finding all three of them around 18:00. That would have only been 4-hours, around what Diao Chan said. But he knew himself that they had disappeared for longer than that.  
  
Looking closer he inspected and magnified the left portion of the machine's chrono. After a few hours he was piecing together that small section of the machine. Soon he was able to see a date and time, and it matched to this year and yesterday's date. He saw another raw set of numbers on the panel and began to work on that.  
  
"Father?" a voice came from behind him. "Father, sister wants you to help her on the upper ridge of pod 5. The cooling units have been on the fritz again."  
  
"I'll be right there," Tenku mumbled behind his hand. "I'm working on something."  
  
"Umm, all right."  
  
"One moment, Janus."  
  
Touma sat straighter in his chair. "Do me a favor and get as many of your uncles together and have them come here."  
  
"But father..."  
  
"Now!"  
  
***  
  
"Are you sure about this?" Rekka gave his old friend a raised eyebrow.  
  
"Hai, I'm sure."  
  
"A time machine?" Korin shook his head in disbelief. "You're insane."  
  
"I want to talk to Diao Chan and the other two about this. I think this explains why their passage of time was different for us."  
  
"How so?" Kongo spoke up, wondering how his daughter had been affected.  
  
"The machine puts out a wave strong enough to slow time for the people around it but not enough of one to affect people as far out as us. What we thought was almost two days was brief moments for those three."  
  
"If you're right," Anubisu snarled, "We have a bigger problem on our hands."  
  
"Hai, much bigger one."  
  
"The children said that they were sure someone just used it," said Suiko as he read over Tenku's report. He looked up at his friend and asked, "What time… period did they go to?"  
  
Tenku sighed and turned away. "I wasn't able to figure out the exact date, just the month and year. The time and day were too excluded."  
  
"So when was it?"  
  
"March… 2000."  
  
"March 11, 2001 to be exact."  
  
Everyone in the room looked up at the new voice.  
  
"Yuri!" Suiko said, running over to the old fragile woman. "What are you doing out of bed?!"  
  
"Father," Sanae began, "please she said it was important."  
  
"How do you know?" Korin gave the woman a skeptical eye. Meanwhile Suiko gathered his wife into his arms and carried her to the nearest chair.  
  
"I know," Yuri said in a small voice as she was gently placed down onto the cushion of the chair, "because I saw it. I dreamt it."  
  
"Yuri…" Shin's voice trailed off in worry.  
  
"We need more to go on than just that," Anubisu growled.  
  
Korin and the others exchanged looks and silent conversations. The old woman was known in the past for insights, but lately it had been said that the poison eating away at her body started to make her disillusioned.  
  
"I'm sure."  
  
"Yuri, you don't understand."  
  
"I do! Please believe me."  
  
Rekka shook his head. "Why then? Why not two years before then or even ten? What's so important about that date?"  
  
"Because that was the last time they had a record of anything on any of us," Yuri replied.  
  
Suiko brushed his hand over hers. "What do you mean?"  
  
Sanae spoke up proudly, sharing her knowledge of the apocalypse to the others. "Mom means that all of our records were burned right after the war started, so no one could be tracked by them. The computers didn't work anyway since they were of man-made power and not self-contained power like today's so those were useless also. But that year was the same year that a lot of us kids were born."  
  
Tenku frowned at the reasoning. "How would they know exactly how old any of you were?"  
  
"Because Daio Chan was exactly 10-years, one day, and one hour, old when her mother…" Kongo's voice died quickly. "Neo-Chaos would know because she and her two minions... They share the memories of the previous wearers of the claws." His voice was low and angry and he did not look at any of his comrades.  
  
"They are there," Sanae insisted.  
  
"It doesn't matter," Anubisu growled impatiently. "What can we do about it?"  
  
"You need to send someone through!" Yuri retorted, her blind, empty eyes suddenly filled with fire. "The youja can't begin the invasion so early! The children haven't been born yet!"  
  
"Yuri," Shin hushed, "calm down. You know you just get worse when you get riled."  
  
"Shin, please. I don't have long, I know it, but the children… Shin you have to make sure the children survive."  
  
Sanae joined her father in trying to calm down the ecstatic woman. She said to her, "We will mother. You'll see."  
  
"It's clear we need to have a meeting," Rajura declared softly from his seat, "with all the children. We need to find that machine and either claim it for ourselves or destroy it."  
  
"But if we have to send someone through we can't destroy it," Kongo objected, rising from his seat slightly. "They won't be able to get back."  
  
"It doesn't matter, Kongo," Anubisu replied. "If they are already trying to change our past the lives we live, now won't matter. Whoever goes must realize that there's a risk of them not returning." The blue haired man looked around the room. "This would be that person's chance to stop Neo- Chaos in the past."  
  
"You can't do that!" Kongo snapped from his chair. "You can't stop it."  
  
"If that person kills the old Chaos first before the enemy does, Neo- Chaos will never have been created."  
  
"But that means..." Sanae spoke up and gazed around the room, at the men who stood in it. "This will mean Diao Chan, Rei Tsun, Jin Huang, and Li- hua…"  
  
***  
  
Each child stood around the room quietly. No, they were not children but more likely young adults. Rekka sighed as he rose from his seat.  
  
"We have called you all here because before us we have a large step to take," he announced. "We have a larger, more dangerous mission to face together."  
  
He met each of their eyes, unaware of the fear or yellow in any of them, only determination and strength.  
  
"The information that Daio Chan has recovered along with Shinji and Sanae showed us that the youja did build a machine. A time machine."  
  
He sighed and waited for the murmuring and surprised whispers to die down before he continued. "From what we can tell they have sent someone back already. We found an approximate time and date. We think they are planning to start the invasion earlier in the past which would make the future most of us know now only a dream. Most of you wouldn't be born and most of us perhaps would not of survived."  
  
He swept the room quickly one last time. "None… of us adults can go back. We're too old, I'm afraid. One of you must go and must stop Neo-Chaos."  
  
"And kill it before it even becomes an ideal," Anubisu said dryly, ignoring the look Kongo was giving him.  
  
Rekka cleared his throat before going on. "The person that goes... We cannot vouch for their return. To get this person to the past using the youja machine will be dangerous. This will require a special team to infiltrate and make sure that person gets through. If at that time we can secure the machine, we will. However, if this is not possible, the machine will be destroyed, cutting that person off from ever coming back."  
  
"We could not come to an agreement as to which person will go," said Korin as he took over the instructional speech. "For most… obvious reasons."  
  
The silvery blonde haired sensei gave a small glance towards his youngest and sighed. "So," he concluded, "we hope that one of you would volunteer for it."  
  
"Sensei."  
  
A proud boy of raven hair stood up. "I think any of us would take the task. We are all willing to risk our lives to save the ones we love."  
  
"Sit," Rekka spoke out, motioning his hand with the action of sitting. He wasn't happy over the fact that his middle child was so eager to sacrifice himself. Of course it was a Sanada trait. "We know you all have courage and persistence to do this."  
  
"Then I'll go," Diao Chan said as she stepped forward. "I volunteer for the mission."  
  
Kongo cried out, "Diao Chan you will not do such a thing!"  
  
The dark haired girl tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and said, "Dad, I'm 19-years old now. I'm a grown woman and as the eldest of the 'new generation', I feel it's my responsibility to do what I can. I understand and have seen for myself the effects of chaos. I love this world and I'm willing to sacrifice anybody and anything for it... I would easily sacrifice myself, no questions asked."  
  
"I-I can't believe I'm hearing this from you!" Kongo as he finally rose from his seat and made his way over to his daughter, forgetting his place as a warrior and taking on the role of fatherhood. "I've lost your mother and it's already too much!"  
  
Diao Chan shook her head and gazed at her father sadly. "Sorry, but don't you think the others feel the same way? Rekka, Tenku, Korin, and Suiko... They dread the thought of losing their children but if we don't do something now, nobody will have a future to look forward to. Dad... Don't be so selfish."  
  
The last words were a blow to Kongo's heart. Diao Chan's cutting words, even the Samurai Troopers, shocked everyone. Taking a step forward away from Kongo, Diao Chan cracked her knuckles and asked, "So when do I leave?" 


End file.
